Overland Park, KS – James Nitties grabbed a one-shot lead at the Midwest Classic on Saturday after J.J. Killeen ended his round with consecutive bogeys.
Nitties, whose six-under 65 put him at 20-under 193 overall, has never won on the Nationwide Tour. With seven birdies and one bogey on Saturday at Nicklaus Golf Club, he put himself in excellent position to earn a first-place check on Sunday.
The storyline still revolves around Killeen, though, as he chases his third title in four events. After missing the cut last week, Killeen entered the day tied with Nitties atop the leaderboard, but stumbled down the stretch.
He had seven birdies through 16 holes before bogeys on Nos. 17 and 18 dropped him to five-under on the day and 19-under overall. Killeen is still only one shot off the lead, easily erasable in this birdie-heavy environment, and will be in the final pairing on Sunday.
If Killeen were to win, he'd earn an automatic promotion to the PGA Tour, a reward for three Nationwide Tour wins in a single year.
Josh Geary had the best round of the day with a 10-under 61, putting him in a share of third at 18-under 195. Nick Flanagan (64) joined him there.
MORE TO FOLLOW.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.